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﻿﻿﻿﻿ This beautiful Nature attraction is located next to the Redwood National and state Parks, in northern California. It is a Redwood Forrest experience, named the Trees of Mystery. This attraction features a unique hike through the Redwoods of California, and it has been enchanting visitors since 1946. Up ahead,...

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ These massive redwood trees, are living organisms, and they have a longstanding history with our planet. They come from a line of ancient plant-life that made its way across the globe. Some of these trees are incredibly old, so old in fact, their near-relatives would have been here back...

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ Directly ahead, you’ll find the trinity tree, where one enormous tree appears to have formed into a trinity. And if you pan to the left, you’ll see a funny shaped tree named the lightning tree. It stands out among the others with its distinct lightning bolt shape. Who says...

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ Up ahead, you’ll see a group of nine trees growing together as one, aptly named the “cathedral” tree. It is thought that Approximately 1000 years ago, there was a very large tree that stood in the center of this formation. This giant tree had fallen to the ground. But...

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ On your journey up to the sky trail, you’ll encounter this incredible tree overhang, with a complex network of branches covering the path ahead. This intricate web of tangled branches provides some shade for weary travelers, trying to avoid the sun. This location is not only a perfect spot...

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ The proliferation of Redwood Trees, have been discovered throughout our Northern Hemisphere. With maximum coverage on the earth, dating back 65 million years. Scientists have traced back the lineage of this ancient organism even further, finding an origin point dated as far back, as the Upper Cretaceous, around 110...

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ If you’re in the mood for a wilderness adventure, be sure to take the SkyTrail gondola ride up to Ted’s Ridge. After unloading, you will begin your journey down the rugged Wilderness Trail seen here. This trail starts at the top of Ted’s Ridge, and winds down the mountain...

﻿﻿﻿﻿ The success of the Redwoods, are in part due to its growth rate which can be incredibly, quick. Redwoods have been documented with gains of over 7 feet in diameter, in as few as 100 years. The trees seen here, while fast growing, are from a much younger group,...

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ When visiting the trees of mystery in person, you should plan to spend at least a half day here. Aside from the amazing nature experience they also feature a fantastic museum and gift shop. With culinary treats and a restaurant near by it is easy to spend your day...

﻿﻿﻿﻿ Redwood trees have some interesting methods of protection. For starters, their bark is very thick, with as much as a foot deep in some cases. If a tree is exposed to fire, the bark will char, and turn into a heat shield. Within the chemical composition of the tree...

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ The Redwood have another survival strategy hidden in their burls. A burl is the wooden material found at the base of the tree, and it serves as a storage device for the organisms genetic code. It is full of unsprouted bud tissue, and if the tree should happen to...

﻿﻿﻿﻿ There are 3 distinct types of Redwood trees, and they are classified as three separate genera, the Coastal, the Sierra, and the Dawn, Redwood. The dawn redwood is deciduous while the sempervirens and the gigantea, are both evergreen. I hope you’ve had a wonderful experience here with me at...

﻿﻿﻿﻿ Welcome to this beautiful Japanese Tea Garden, located inside the Golden Gate Park, in San Francisco, California. This location is the oldest public Japanese Tea Garden in the United States. Originally constructed as part of the World’s Fair, during the California, Midwinter International Exposition of 1894. This garden features...

﻿﻿﻿ Here inside the Garden, you’ll find influences by various aspects of Japanese culture and religion, like this statue of Buddha, found directly ahead. Here we see Buddha, with his hands placed, in the Abhayamudrā , position. Immediately after attaining enlightenment this hand gesture was shown by Buddha, and it...

﻿﻿﻿ Up ahead, we can see a circular bridge called a taiko bashi. This type of Japanese structure is sometimes referred to as a Moon or Drum bridge. It gets its name from the full circle shape that it creates with its reflection on the water. There is an inscription...

﻿﻿﻿ Every detail from the flora selection to the placement of rocks, the water flow, the paths, even the location of the trees, everything, is purposeful, to emphasize a natural flow, as embodied in Taoism. In Shintoism, it is believed that the spirits of ancestors, and spirits of the Gods...

﻿﻿﻿ When the World’s Fair concluded in 1894, Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese immigrant and master gardener, oversaw the transition of the Japanese Village fair exhibit to the permanent Japanese Tea Garden. Once the expansion and transition was complete, the tea garden had all but tripled in size. To fill up...

﻿﻿﻿ A proper traditional rock garden, follows very specific artistic principles. Techniques use to achieve this art form, include careful consideration of the stones used, including their color, size, shape, placement, asymmetry, and overall garden geometry. Here we find ourselves in a peaceful location, located deep within the garden, and...

﻿﻿﻿ This incredible structure is called a pagoda, and it is a five-tiered Buddhist shrine that was installed as part of the garden’s exhibit, in the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. Pagoda’s originate from the Buddhist religion in India and East Asia and they come in two types, ones used for tombs,...

﻿﻿﻿﻿ Interestingly, Japanese tea gardens are a place of sacred ritual, where Japanese culture and religious philosophies, are communicated through the respected art forms of landscaping and architecture. Japanese aesthetics are often influenced by the geographic location of Japan, where an emphases on isolation and the importance of water, can...

﻿﻿﻿ As you travel towards the back of the garden you will encounter a variety of trees, including flowering cherries, azaleas, magnolias, camellias, Japanese maples, pines, cedars and cypresses. Up ahead, just beyond this fence, there is a Buddhist shrine called a pagoda. When visiting this very location, TC remarked...

﻿﻿﻿﻿ The architect Bernard Maybeck is quoted as saying, that the purpose of The Palace of Fine Arts is to show “the mortality of grandeur, and the vanity of human wishes”. I can’t think of a more appropriate location to ponder the depth, of that wonderful description. I would highly...

﻿﻿﻿ Let us take a moment and appreciate this spectacular three hundred and sixty degree view of the rotunda. This vantage point provides an incredible perspective of the towering arches and columns above us. Perched at the very top of each column, you’ll see eight separate angelic figures, looking down...

﻿﻿﻿ The Palace of Fine Arts is located in the Marina District of San Francisco, California. This fantastic structure happens to be an architectural icon of the city. Originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, to exhibit works of art featured there. This incredible icon is one of only a...

﻿﻿﻿ As you can see from this vantage point, the main Rotunda is built surrounded by a small artificial lagoon. The lagoon was constructed to echo the water scene’s found in classical settings in Europe. Here the expansive water vista creates a mirrored surface, reflecting the architecture from a considerable...

﻿﻿﻿ As we approach the beautiful Rotunda, you can see that this structure is surrounded by a lovely artificial lagoon. The lagoon was constructed to echo the water scene’s found in classical settings in Europe. Here the expansive water vista creates a mirrored surface, reflecting the architecture from a considerable...

﻿﻿﻿﻿ At the entrance to the Palace of Fine Arts, you will see several beautiful garden areas containing trees and shrubbery. The plants here help to create the illusion, that you’re standing among an ancient mystical relic, overrun by nature, in some other time altogether. Standing here next to these...

﻿﻿﻿ Just ahead, we see the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge, located in the beautiful city of San Francisco California. Construction of this bridge began in January of 1933, and was completed in 1937. Despite being built during the Great Depression, this magnificent bridge was completed under budget and ahead of...

﻿﻿﻿﻿ The two main suspension cables holding up the roadway on this bridge, use a combined total, of 80,000 miles of wire. If you were to stretch them out and loop them around the Earth, it would circle our planet three times over. At the time of construction in 1937,...

﻿﻿﻿ Located at the end of Torpedo Wharf, is a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge and skyline. This Wharf got its name after the Army constructed a submarine mine depository here, in the early nineteen hundreds. Today this peaceful spot is a popular location for fisherman and sight...

﻿﻿﻿ The majestic Tumalo Falls drops from approximately 90 feet, with a width of nearly 25 feet. To reach this location you must hike down a slippery slope to the base of the Falls. Interestingly, the forest surrounding the falls was burned to the ground in a 1979 fire, and...

﻿﻿﻿ The origin of the word Tumalo is unknown, there are however, a few theories that may shed some light on the origin of the word. One possibility is that it comes from a Klamath Indian word Temelo, meaning wild plumb, a plant that was once abundant in south central...

﻿﻿﻿ As you continue your hike towards the waterfall, you’ll encounter this rock overhang. This unique vantage point provides some shelter from the elements, and an immersive auditory experience. As you step inside this protected area, the sound of the roaring waterfall can be heard echoing off the rock walls...

﻿﻿﻿ Greetings and welcome. Just up this river, you can see the beautiful Tumalo Falls located in Bend Oregon. This magnificent waterfall is a popular destination for outdoor adventurers. To get to this spectacular spot, you’ll need to venture off the hiking trails and head down towards the river. This...

﻿﻿﻿ Welcome to the cell block inside 2 house, this facility also goes by the title of the north wing. Prisoner’s sentenced to 2 house were living in a facility with virtually no comforts. Those unlucky souls staying here would be doing so without any running water, as this building...

﻿﻿﻿ Here we are standing in the cell block of the facility known as three house. This location was closed for sanitation concerns in 1921. After closing, it functioned as a temporary shoe factory, but ultimately it was remodeled in 1928 for inmate housing. Once the remodel was complete it...

﻿﻿﻿﻿ We are currently standing in the stairwell on the second floor of three house. As you can see, this corridor has very low ceilings, and very narrow walkways. One can imagine that a space this confined, would be difficult to navigate safely by inmates and the prison guards. Apparently...

﻿﻿﻿ Four house is the largest and most modern cell block at the penitentiary. Construction was completed in 1954, and this building became the main place where inmates were housed. Some of the inmates who stayed here painted their cells, and even left drawings on the walls. This gives each...

﻿﻿﻿ Five house is the only maximum security facility at the penitentiary. It is also home to the gallows and death row. Inmates incarcerated in this building were placed in these one man cells. This cell block has running water, and a place where one could potentially shower, but I...

﻿﻿﻿ Those unlucky enough to end up in 5 house, were sentenced to permanent solitary confinement. Five house was reserved for the most violent and unruly offenders. Inmates that were housed inside this room, were awaiting their last meal on earth. This building contains death row, the gallows, and the...

﻿﻿﻿ Welcome to the grim room known as the gallows. This room is located on the second floor of five house. The back wall features a display case of inmates who were executed in this very room. From this vantage point through the viewing window, one could be a witness...

﻿﻿﻿ Although the function of this room is quite grim, it does have an important purpose post mortem. The lever on the wall directly in front of you, releases the trap door above, allowing for transportation of the inmates body. Once the body was removed, the area could be cleaned....

﻿﻿﻿ Welcome to five house. This building housed the most diabolical and violent, of the inmates. On display in this room are a collection of ingenious weapons, fashioned by the inmates who stayed here. Shanks saps and clubs, were all popular weapons used by the inmates and subsequently, confiscated by...

﻿﻿﻿ The inmates used this space for more than just a friendly game of basketball. The recreational areas inside the Old Pen were also home to boxing, softball, handball, tennis, horseshoes, and other prison games. The Old Pen’s softball team were aptly named, The Outlaws, and they frequently competed with...

﻿﻿﻿﻿ Directly ahead is the basketball court, and the infamous five house, where maximum security inmates were housed. Down the path to your right, is an opening to the Pen called the sally port, which was built in 1931, and provided restricted access in and out of the penitentiary. More...

﻿﻿﻿ Here we are standing at the front entrance to 4 house. The location description on the ground indicates that this building was completed in 1953, with this facility being the largest cell block, in the entire penitentiary. At maximum capacity this cell house could accommodate 320 inmates in four...

﻿﻿﻿ Just ahead, you’ll notice two buildings, the south wing, and the north wing. The entrance to the south wing is on your left, and the entrance of the north wing is on your right. Continuing on past these two buildings are steps leading to four and five house, with...

﻿﻿﻿ Here we are positioned between the chapel located in front of you, and the 3 house, located directly behind you. 3 house originally housed inmates, but it was condemned for habitation, and opened back up as a shoe factory in 1921. In 1928 it was remodeled to house inmates...

﻿﻿﻿ Welcome to the Old Pen’s humble rose garden, here inmates tended to the surrounding flowers and foliage. This site may have served as a place to find peace and solitude for those lucky enough to be caretakers. This also happened to be the location where 6 inmates were killed...

﻿﻿﻿ During operation, this building served as the Old Pen’s dining hall, until it was burned to the ground in the riot of 1973. Interestingly, this building was designed by an Inmate named George Hamilton, during his stay here. Just to the left of the dining hall, is a path...